Mama Bin Cranky

Late last week, the American hostages no one seemed to know about were allowed to leave Egypt.  This included the son of Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation.  Quietest American Hostage situation ever known. These people were allowed to leave after ransom/bail was paid to Egypt.  The ransom (5 million total) was paid by the non-profit organizations/foundations that these American were working for.  While it is great that these people are allowed out of Egypt, it is unfortunate that a ransom had to be paid.  If you are an American abroad in a sensitive spot, you may want to make sure someone has $300,000 to get you a ride back home when someone figures out it is great to arrest Americans on trumped-up charges. Also, while the government didn’t pay these ransoms, the organizations they work for could get lots of their funds from the government.